Back in August 28th, 2001, Afroman released his compilation album entitled “The Good Times”. This album featured the smash hits “Because I Got High” and “Crazy Rap”, while peaking at number 9 on the Billboard 200, and the album was certified gold according to Billboard.
The songs primarily talked about growing up in the ghetto of East Palmdale. The songs are quite tongue-in-cheek, about smoking that devil’s lettuce, and having this seemingly constant to hook up with girls. “Because I Got High” and “Crazy Rap” caused Afroman to have a career based on those two songs alone.
“Because I Got High” got its break thanks to the rise of the Internet and being featured on the “Howard Stern Show”. The song talked about the negative effects of how smoking marijuana hindered the quality of life in terms of accomplishing daily tasks. For example, it showcased lyrics, “I was going to clean my room, but then I got high”. In 2014, Afroman changed up the lyrics of “Because I Got High” to promote marijuana legalization. That song would be number one on charts in 11 countries including the United Kingdom, and it would peak at Number 13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also features over 138 million hits on YouTube with a video cameo from Jay & Silent Bob.
The song “Crazy Rap(Colt 45 and two zig-zags)” would peak at number 7 in Ireland and number 10 in United Kingdom. The song is a club classic though, and it earned a cult following for Afroman. The last part of the song is paying homage to “Rapper’s Delight” by Sugarhill Gang.
Looking back on this album, it is definitely not meant to be taken seriously. While Afroman has a ear for rhythm and has the ability to mix old school hip-hop with modern-day reggae, this is not for me. It’s one of those, yeah it was fun to jam to back in the day, but looking back you wonder why in the hell did I get into this in the first place. Madness To Creation passes on this with 3 out of 10 stars. Here is the track listing.
- Because I Got High
- Crazy Rap
- She Won’t Let Me F***
- Hush
- Tumbleweed
- Let’s All Get Drunk
- Tall Cans
- Palmdale
- Mississippi
- The American Dream
- Because I Got High(long edit)
Afroman does have a few gigs coming up. Check out the tour dates below.
Fri. 2/15- Whiskey Dick’s in South Lake Tahoe, California
Sat. 2/16- Jub Jub’s in Reno, Nevada
Sun. 2/17- Rafters Bar & Grill in Mammoth Lakes, California
Fri. 4/26- Gabe’s in Iowa City, Iowa
For tickets and further information on any of the shows listed above, click here.
Fans can find Afroman at the following locations: